Mariette Hartley Recalls Working With Bill Bixby, James Garner and More Throughout Iconic Career

She’s enjoyed a long and varied career, but it was a string of commercials for Polaroid cameras that most endeared TV viewers to Mariette Hartley . She and The Rockford Files star James Garner displayed such sweet chemistry in them that many thought they were a real-life couple. “I just adored him,” says the actress, 84.

Behind the scenes, Mariette has endured personal challenges that began with her upbringing in an emotionally chilly home where physical touch was frowned upon. “If we can live through [difficulties], the best things can come of it,” says Mariette. “That’s why I keep hugging my children and grandchildren even when they don’t want to be hugged.” She also turned the page on the suicide death of her father by helping to found the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. “We now have chapters in every state in the country,” Mariette says. “We can’t save everyone, but hopefully we’ve been able to make a difference for many.”

You survived a very tough childhood.

“There was a lot of drinking, which is definitely a family disease. Lots was covered up. As a kid, I remember stepping over bodies after my parents threw parties. I found my mother in the forsythia bushes continually. My grandfather John B. Watson was one of the most famous psychologists, whose claim to fame was behaviorism. He was scary.”

Can you remember the first time you ever had a hug that felt safe and comforting?

“That didn’t come until quite late. I hate to say this, but the husband I’ve been with for nearly 20 years was one of the first people who made me feel safe. And I get it from my kids.”

What was your earliest acting role?

“As an 8-or 9-year-old, I met a man who had a fabulous marionette school. I studied with him and made marionettes. My first play was The Wizard of Oz, and I manipulated the Dorothy puppet. Then, when I was 10, I heard about kids who were in a theater company and told my mom I had to do this.”

How did you meet The Twilight Zone ’s Rod Serling?

“When I was the head of my drama department in high school, I called him — his name was in the phone book. He picked up the phone and he ended up coming to speak to my drama group. Years later, I ran into him on the MGM lot, and before I knew it I was on The Twilight Zone .”

You have a strong following from sci-fi fans due to your roles on Star Trek and The Incredible Hulk .

“That’s mainly because of playing Spock’s love interest, Zarabeth. To walk on that Star Trek set as a kid from Connecticut was unbelievable. Bill Shatner , who has short arms and short legs, wore heels that made him appear taller than he was. Leonard Nimoy was not that great a kisser. But I did get to shtup Spock! And I won my Emmy for The Incredible Hulk for falling in love with Bill Bixby’s character. I was nursing my child at the time, and Bill agreed to stop the camera whenever the baby needed feeding.”

What was it like to work on Alfred Hitchcock’s Marnie?

“Alfred was a tough guy who was really nasty to me. Tippi [ Hedren ] told me to just hang in there.”

How did you get the first Polaroid commercial?

“In our audition, I was very bratty. I ad-libbed a banter with Jim about the camera being two steps instead of one — which is what got me the part. And then I did a Rockford Files with him, which was really fun.”

What did you love about Jim?

“His body was pretty banged up, and I could always tell when he was in pain, but it didn’t affect his marvelous sense of humor. We were accused of fooling around, and I had to stop those rumors. So when my daughter, Justine, was born, I had someone at Universal make a handmade T-shirt for the baby to wear that said, ‘I am not James Garner’s baby.’ I put it on her, and when Jim saw it I thought he was going to die.”

In 2021, you and your husband, Jerry, financed your own romantic comedy, Our Almost Completely True Love Story .

“Almost our entire family is in it. It’s very autobiographical, telling a story about middle age and over, in a very funny way. We wrote it and put our own money into it. And it does address suicide in a very palatable way. It’s available on Roku, Amazon Prime and Tubi, and I’m so thrilled when people see it.”

What makes your marriage work?

“I’d been married before and made terrible choices. I didn’t fall in love with Jerry when we met, but we started laughing and never left each other’s sides. I was 65 years old when we were wed, and I thought we were crazy.”

How many kids and grandkids do you have?

“I have two children that I birthed [son Sean and daughter Justine], two adopted and five grandchildren. There’s a lot of laughter in the household. And I’ve had pets all my life. I have two cats now and a dog, who are also in the movie.”

What’s the biggest challenge of being the age you are now?

“Well, I’ve never been this old, but thank God I’m with a man who finds me gorgeous no matter what. In January, I broke my femur, so I have a 17-inch scar on my leg. Learning how to live with that pain and going through rehab has been a whole new chapter I didn’t think I could live through. My son brought me a hummingbird feeder and hung it outside my window, and those birds kept me alive. I have learned so much about mindfulness.”

How do you stay healthy?

“I’m doing physical therapy and learning how to swim again. Prayer, meditation and all of these things help quiet my brain. I love what poems and children’s books do for me. And I am a member of Alcoholics Anonymous and have been sober for 34 years. I don’t know what I would do without it.”

Mariette will be greeting fans at the Hollywood Show in Burbank, California, on October 18 and 19.